Containment system

ABSTRACT

A body bag is provided comprising a substantially planar, optically transparent envelope defining an interior and having an opening extending substantially along a length dimension thereof. A closure for sealing the opening is provided comprising a rib and groove structure and an adhesive flap for impermeably sealing the closure. Conveniently, the body bag envelope may be dimensioned to allow placement in an interior for a conventional body bag. At least one access means formed through the envelope material for accessing the interior of said envelope is provided, spaced along an opposite length dimension of the envelope from the opening. The access means may include unidirectional infusion or extraction ports, integral gloves for accessing the interior of the envelope, self-sealing injection ports, or combinations thereof. A second adhesive flap is provided for sealing the access means, thereby providing an impermeable seal of the envelope to prevent contamination of the environment with any hazardous contents of the envelope. The invention further provides a method for isolating a contaminated cadaver from contact with the environment.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/378,247, filed May 7, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of body bags or pouches.In particular, the present invention relates to a body or cadaver bag orpouch for use in situations involving suspected or known hazardousmaterials, such as chemical spills, biological agents, or otherbiohazards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In certain disaster or disease situations, it is often necessary toimmediately isolate the victims. For example, in a situation such as ahazardous chemical spill or the deliberate or accidental release oflethal toxins, diseases, or other a biological contaminants (hereinafterreferred to generally as a biohazard), the bodies of the victims mayrepresent a danger, especially to medical and rescue personneldispatched to the scene of the disaster. Onlookers and funerary staffare also at risk. Often, the cause of death is not immediatelydiscernible, and accordingly medical personnel cannot determine specificmeasures for decontamination of the victims in sufficient time toprevent danger to others. Even if the cause of death is determined,often suitable decontamination procedures are not available for certaintypes of biohazards. In these situations, the primary goal is immediatecontainment of the corpse to allow rescue, medical, and other personnelto continue their work with a measure of safety.

In a disaster involving a biohazard, full autopsy procedures may beneither necessary nor, depending on the biohazard involved, advisable.However, some limited procedures may be necessary. For example, the bodyof the victim must be identified to allow notification of familymembers. Limited access to the victims personal effects may therefore benecessary. If available, some measure of decontamination may bedesirable, particularly in cases where the cause of death remainsactive, such as nerve gas or a biological hazard such as smallpox. Somefunerary procedures, such as embalming, may also be desirable. In suchcases, a primary concern is still containment of thebiohazard-contaminated victim to protect others.

It is conventional practice for storing and transporting deceasedindividuals to place the bodies in containment vessels, generallyreferred to as “body bags.” Such body bags are effective for theirintended purpose under normal situations. However, in the case of adisaster involving biohazardous substances, conventional body bags donot provide the required level of containment to assure the safety ofothers. Additionally, most conventional body bags are opaque. Even inthose bags that allow limited viewing, when some post-mortem examinationor procedure is required, the conventional body bag must be opened toallow access to the victim, increasing the risk to others.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a means forstoring/transporting deceased victims, while preventing the spread ofthe biohazardous cause of death. There is further a need in the art forsuch a containment system which allows limited procedures, such asidentification of the victim, rapid and safe analysis of thecontaminant, decontamination if possible, and funerary procedures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the foregoing, in one aspect the present inventionprovides a body bag for isolating a cadaver, comprising a substantiallyplanar, optically transparent envelope defining an interior. Theenvelope includes an opening extending substantially along a lengthdimension of the envelope, and further includes a closure forimpermeably sealing the opening. Typically, the envelope will bedimensioned to allow placement in an interior of a conventional bodybag. It will be appreciated that this feature allows the transparentbody bag of the present invention to be stored and/or transported in aconventional opaque body bag, thereby hiding the contents frominadvertent view by family members, members of the press, and the like.Concealment of the bag of the present invention in a conventional bodybag further provides a second level of containment, thereby increasingthe security of personnel.

The closure may include a rib and groove structure, similar to thosemarketed under the trademark ZIPLOC. As will be appreciated by thedisclosure that follows, the closure should be of sufficient size andthickness to allow handling and closing by personnel wearing protectivehandwear such as thick rubber gloves. The closure further may include afirst adhesive flap which may be integral to the envelope. The firstadhesive flap typically co-extends substantially the length of theopening, and is adapted for folding over and adhering to the envelopematerial whereby the opening is impermeably sealed. This preventsinadvertent contact of the contents of the body bag, and anycontaminants which may be associated therewith, with the environment andwith personnel handling the body bag of the present invention.

The body bag of the present invention may further include at least oneaccess means formed through the envelope material for accessing theinterior of the envelope. The access means are typically spaced along anopposite length dimension of the envelope opposite from the opening. Asecond adhesive flap integral to the envelope and adapted for foldingover and adhering to the envelope material may be provided. The secondadhesive flap typically co-extends along a sufficient distance of theopposite length dimension of the envelope to impermeably seal the accessmeans when folded over. Any of a number of known access means may beincluded in the body bag of this invention to allow limited access tothe interior of the envelope after the closure is sealed, such as aninjection port having a self-sealing septum, a unidirectional infusionport for infusing a substance into the interior of the envelope, and/ora unidirectional extraction port for extracting a substance from theinterior of the envelope. Such ports are known in the art. The interiorof the envelope may also be accessed by at least one sleeve extendingfrom a surface of the envelope into the interior of the envelope anddefining a glove, wherein the sleeve further defines an opening formedthrough the envelope material. Typically, the sleeve will terminate in aglove, allowing limited manipulation of the contents of the bag aftersealing.

Additional features may be provided with the body bag of the presentinvention. The bag may include carrying handles to increase ease andconvenience of transport, one or more label surfaces for recordingdesired information on the envelope, and a ruled scale for measuring alength and/or width of an object placed in the envelope. The body bagmay further include a unique identifier for acquiring informationconcerning a particular bag at a distance. Typically, the uniqueidentifier will be a scannable bar code for acquisition of identifyinginformation regarding said cadaver from a distance. Such bar codes andscanners therefore are known in the art.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for isolatinga contaminated cadaver from contact with the environment, comprising thesteps of placing the cadaver into an interior of a substantially planar,optically transparent envelope. The envelope is configured substantiallyas described supra, having an opening extending substantially along alength dimension thereof, a rib-and-groove closure for closing theopening, and a first adhesive flap integral to the envelope,co-extending substantially the length of the opening, and adapted forfolding over and adhering to the envelope material. The rib and grooveclosure is then closed, and the first adhesive flap is folded over toadhere to the envelope material, whereby the opening is impermeablysealed and the contents of the envelope are prevented from contact withthe exterior of the envelope.

In still yet another aspect of the present invention, a body bag forholding and isolating a cadaver is provided, comprising a substantiallyplanar, optically transparent envelope defining an interior, and havingan opening extending substantially along a length dimension of saidenvelope. A rib and groove closure is provided for closing the opening.Additionally, a first adhesive flap is provided integral to theenvelope, co-extending substantially the length of the opening andadapted for folding over and adhering to the envelope material toimpermeably seal the opening. The envelope may also include at least oneaccess means formed through the envelope material for accessing theinterior, typically being spaced along an opposite length dimension ofthe envelope from the opening. The access means may be selected from thegroup consisting of an injection port having a self-sealing septum, aself-sealing unidirectional infusion port, a self-sealing unidirectionalextraction port, at least one sleeve extending from a surface of theenvelope into the interior of the envelope and defining an openingformed through the envelope material and terminating in a glove, and anycombination thereof.

The body bag may also include a second adhesive flap integral to theenvelope which is adapted for folding over and adhering to the envelopematerial. The second adhesive flap preferably extends along a sufficientlength of the envelope length dimension opposite the opening, toimpermeably seal the access means when folded over. Additional features,such as a bar code, carrying handles, labels, and ruled scales may beprovided as described above.

Still other objects of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in this art from the following description wherein thereis shown and described a preferred embodiment of this invention, simplyby way of illustration of one of the modes best suited to carry out theinvention. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of otherdifferent embodiments and its several details are capable ofmodification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from theinvention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regardedas illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawing incorporated in and forming a part of thespecification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and,together with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 illustrates the body bag of the present invention, with theopening positioned to allow placement of a cadaver in the interior ofthe envelope;

FIG. 2 illustrates the body bag of the present invention having theopening closed, with first and second adhesive flaps folded over toimpermeably seal the interior of the envelope; and

FIG. 3 shows the body bag of FIGS. 1 and 2, with a cadaver containedtherein and first and second adhesive flaps folded over to impermeablyseal the interior of the envelope.

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferredembodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the containment system of the present invention, as shownin FIG. 1, provides a body bag 10 for isolating a cadaver, comprising asubstantially planar, optically transparent envelope 20 defining aninterior, and having an opening 22 extending substantially a lengthdimension of the envelope 20. It will be appreciated that the use of asubstantially transparent envelope allows visual identification of avictim, recordation of identifying marks such as tattoos or scars, andthe like without requiring personnel to actually handle the body. Thebody bag 10 may be fabricated of any suitable material having therequired properties of optical transparency, gas and fluidimpermeability, and puncture resistance. The body bag 10 must further bedurable enough to support the weight of a cadaver placed therein. Suchmaterials are known in the art. Desirably, the body bag 10 of thepresent invention may be dimensioned to allow placement within aconventional body bag (not shown) if necessary for transport and/orvisual concealment.

The body bag 10 further includes a closure for closing and sealing theopening 22. In a preferred embodiment, the closure comprises a rib andgroove structure 24, known in the art and marketed under the trademarkZIPLOC. The rib and groove structure is desirably of a size to allowconvenient manipulation by personnel wearing protective gear, such asheavy polymer or rubber gloves. It will be appreciated that other typesof closure systems may be suitable, such as a heavy duty marine-gradezipper (not shown). The closure further comprises a first adhesive flap26 for sealing the opening 22 after it has been closed by the rib andgroove structure 24. Adhesive flap 26 typically co-extends substantiallythe length of the opening 22. Any suitable adhesive having the requiredability to provide a gas-/fluid-impermeable and solvent-resistant sealis suitable for the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 appendedhereto, the adhesive flap 26 is adapted for folding over and therebysealing the opening 22 and rib and groove structure 24, preventing theaccidental escape of gases or fluids through the closure.

The body bag 10 may include handles 28 to allow carrying the body bag 10and a cadaver placed therein with greater ease. In the embodiment shownin FIGS. 1-3, the handles 28 are formed integrally in the material ofthe body bag 10. However, separately attached or removable handles arealso suitable. At least one ruled scale 30 may also be included along alength dimension of the envelope 20, allowing determination of theapproximate height and/or width of the victim placed therein. A label 32may also be included, to allow recordation of desired information.

The body bag 10 may also include one or more access means for accessingthe interior of the envelope 20 to allow limited post-mortem proceduresor funerary procedures, such as identification of the victim frompersonal effects, obtaining samples of blood or other fluids, andintroduction and withdrawal of gases and fluids into the interior of theenvelope 20. The access means are typically spaced on a length dimensionof the envelope 20 opposite the opening 22. A second adhesive flap34,substantially similar to the first adhesive flap 26, is provided on theopposite side of the envelope 20 from the closing means 24. The use ofthe second adhesive flap 34 will be described in greater detail below.

The access means for accessing the interior of the envelope 20 may takeseveral forms. The envelope 20 may include at least one injection port36 having a self-sealing septum. Such ports are known in the art.Because the injection port 36 is self-sealing, it may be located at anydesired situs on the envelope 20 without need for a secondary sealingmechanism. However, to further reduce risk of contamination it may bedesirable to locate any injection ports 28 in proximity to secondadhesive flap 34. The envelope 20 may also include at least oneunidirectional infusion port 38, and at least one unidirectionalextraction port 40, also located in proximity to second adhesive flap34. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), a single self-sealing portmay serve the function of allowing infusion and extraction of desiredfluids and gases.

In certain situations, limited handling of the cadaver may be necessary,for example to manipulate the cadaver for photographs, to removeidentification or other personal effects from the cadaver's pockets, andthe like. Of course, the safety of the medical personnel is still aparamount concern due to the biohazard or other contaminant involved.Accordingly, access means in the form of at least one sleeve 42 may beprovided to allow personnel “hands-on” access to the interior of theenvelope 20. Such sleeves 42, preferably terminating in a standard glovedesign having fingers and a thumb, are known in the art. Once thedesired procedures have been completed, it is desirable to seal theaccess means described above to further reduce the risk of escape of anyhazardous substances contained in the envelope 20. Accordingly, secondadhesive flap 34 may be folded over and adhered to the envelope 20material as shown in FIG. 2 to form an impermeable seal over all theaccess means.

It may also be desirable to provide a means for identifying a particularbody bag 10, and for conveying desired information about the contentstherein. Such means should desirably allow identification of the bag 10from a distance, such as from passing car or an aircraft flyingoverhead. In a preferred embodiment, a bar code 43 may be included on asurface of the envelope 20 visible to such passing vehicles. Such barcodes, and scanners (not shown) for scanning the bar codes 43 are knownin the art, such as for example the bar code/scanner combinations usedfor identifying tractor-trailers in the trucking arts.

The advantages of the body bag 10 of the present invention should thusbe immediately apparent to those skilled in the art, and provide amethod for isolating a contaminated cadaver from the environment, andfrom personnel responding to the scene. Upon arrival at the scene of adisaster involving a biohazard, the primary concern is to isolate thedeceased to reduce the likelihood of contamination of rescue and medicalpersonnel with the biohazard. Rescue/medical personnel may immediatelyplace the contaminated cadaver in the envelope 20 through opening 22,close rib and groove structure 24, and fold adhesive flap 26 over toseal the opening 22. This is best shown in FIG. 3. In this way, thebiohazard-contaminated cadaver is immediately contained, and risk torescue and medical workers is reduced.

Because the envelope 20 is optically transparent, personnel are able tovisually ascertain certain information regarding a contaminated cadaverwithout having to actually handle the cadaver. Accordingly, the safetyof personnel is increased. Suitable information such as race, gender,indicia of external trauma, and the like may be determined. The victim'sapproximate height may be measured using the ruled scale 30. The cadavermay be weighed, photographed, x-rayed, and even fingerprinted usingknown scanning technologies. Information regarding the victim may berecorded on the labeling area 32, along with other desired informationsuch as date and location of the disaster, type of biohazard involved(if known), and the like. This information may be critical in, forexample, identifying the victim to allow notification of family members.

If further procedures must be conducted to ascertain information aboutthe victim, the means for accessing the interior of the envelope 20allows such procedures while continuing to keep the cadaver isolated.For example, blood samples may be drawn through injection port 36 toassist in determining the cause of death. Because the injection port 36is self-sealing, safety of the personnel involved is maintained. Thesleeves 42 allow limited handling of the cadaver without openingenvelope 20, such as searching the victim's pockets for identification.The infusion port 38 allows introduction of desired gases and fluids,such as decontaminating substances if the contaminant has beenidentified, or embalming fluids to achieve sufficient embalming of thevictim for interment. The extraction port 40 allows withdrawal of suchsubstances and suitable disposal or analysis of any contaminants orbiohazards contained therein, all without requiring any physical contactwith the contaminated cadaver.

Once all required or desired procedures have been concluded, foradditional protection it is desirable to seal the ports 38, 40 andsleeves 42 to further reduce the risk of external contamination. Asnoted above, the means for accessing the interior of the envelope 20 arepreferably sited along a side of the envelope 20 opposite the opening22. Accordingly, when it is desired to seal the access means foraccessing the interior of the envelope 20, personnel need only foldsecond adhesive flap 34 over to adhere to the envelope material, therebycovering and sealing the openings of sleeves 42 and infusion/extractionports 38 and 40. In this manner, the safety margin for personnelhandling the contaminated cadaver is further increased. The body bag 10may then be lifted using handles 28, and transported for eitherpreservation (freezing), destruction, or interment. For example, asignificant period of time may elapse between the occurrence of abiological disaster and notification of family members for conclusiveidentification. Once the various identification procedures have beencompleted as described above, the cadaver may be cryopreserved for thenecessary time period to allow notification of family members andpositive identification of the body, prior to funerary procedures. Ifnecessary, the body bag 10 may be placed in an interior of aconventional, opaque body bag (not shown) for a second level ofprotection during transport, and to prevent inadvertent viewing of thecadaver by family members, the press, and the like.

The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light ofthe above teachings. The embodiment was chosen and described to providethe best illustration of the principles of the invention and itspractical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the artto utilize the invention in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All suchmodifications and variations are within the scope of the invention asdetermined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance withthe breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.

1. A body bag for isolating a cadaver, comprising: a substantiallyplanar, optically transparent envelope defining an interior, saidenvelope having an opening extending substantially along a lengthdimension thereof; and a closure for impermeably sealing said opening.2. The body bag of claim 1, wherein said envelope is dimensioned toallow placement in an interior of a conventional body bag.
 3. The bodybag of claim 1, wherein said closure comprises a rib and groovestructure.
 4. The body bag of claim 3, wherein said closure includes afirst adhesive flap integral to said envelope, said first adhesive flapco-extending substantially the length of the opening and adapted forfolding over and adhering to the envelope material whereby the openingis impermeably sealed.
 5. The body bag of claim 1, further including atleast one access means formed through the envelope material foraccessing the interior of said envelope, said access means being spacedalong an opposite length dimension of the envelope from said opening. 6.The body bag of claim 5, further including a second adhesive flapintegral to said envelope, said second adhesive flap adapted for foldingover and adhering to the envelope material and co-extending along asufficient length of said opposite length dimension to impermeably sealsaid access means when folded over.
 7. The body bag of claim 5, whereinsaid access means is an injection port having a self-sealing septum. 8.The body bag of claim 5, wherein said access means is a unidirectionalinfusion port for infusing a substance into the interior of theenvelope.
 9. The body bag of claim 5, wherein said access means is aunidirectional extraction port for extracting a substance from theinterior of the envelope.
 10. The body bag of claim 1, wherein saidaccess means is at least one sleeve extending from a surface of theenvelope into the interior of the envelope and defining a glove, saidsleeve further defining an opening formed through the envelope material.11. The body bag of claim 1, further including at least one carryinghandle.
 12. The body bag of claim 1, further including at least onelabel for recording desired information on said envelope.
 13. The bodybag of claim 1, further including at least one ruled scale for measuringa length and/or width of an object placed in said envelope.
 14. The bodybag of claim 1, wherein said envelope includes unique identifier meansfor acquiring identification concerning a particular body bag at adistance.
 15. The body bag of claim 14, wherein said unique identifiermeans is at least one scannable bar code for acquisition of identifyinginformation regarding said cadaver from a distance.
 16. A method forisolating a contaminated cadaver from contact with the environment,comprising the steps of: placing said cadaver into an interior of asubstantially planar, optically transparent envelope, said envelopehaving an opening extending substantially along a length dimension ofsaid envelope, a rib-and-groove closure for closing said opening, and afirst adhesive flap integral to said envelope, said first adhesive flapco-extending substantially the length of the opening and adapted forfolding over and adhering to the envelope material; closing said rib andgroove closure; and folding said first adhesive flap over to adhere tothe envelope material, whereby the opening is impermeably sealed and thecontents of the envelope are prevented from contact with an exterior ofthe envelope.
 17. A body bag for holding and isolating a cadaver,comprising: a substantially planar, optically transparent envelopedefining an interior, and having an opening extending substantiallyalong a length dimension of said envelope; a rib and groove closure forclosing said opening; a first adhesive flap integral to said envelope,said first adhesive flap co-extending substantially the length of theopening and adapted for folding over and adhering to the envelopematerial whereby the opening is impermeably sealed; at least one accessmeans formed through the envelope material for accessing the interior ofsaid envelope, said access means being spaced along an opposite lengthdimension of the envelope from said opening and selected from the groupconsisting of an injection port having a self-sealing septum, aself-sealing unidirectional infusion port, a self-sealing unidirectionalextraction port, and at least one sleeve extending from a surface of theenvelope into the interior of the envelope and defining an openingformed through the envelope material and terminating in a glove, and anycombination thereof; a second adhesive flap integral to said envelope,said adhesive flap adapted for folding over and adhering to the envelopematerial and extending along a sufficient length of said opposite lengthdimension to impermeably seal said access means when folded over; saidenvelope further including at least one scannable bar code on a surfacethereof for acquisition of identifying information regarding saidcadaver from a distance.
 18. The body bag of claim 17, further includingat least one carrying handle.
 19. The body bag of claim 17, furtherincluding at least one label for recording desired information on saidenvelope.
 20. The body bag of claim 17, further including at least oneruled scale for measuring a length and/or width of an object placed insaid envelope.